


The Test

by Tomoyochan



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Agates being Sneaky, Amethysts are huge Gossips, Gen, Rebellion Era Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomoyochan/pseuds/Tomoyochan
Summary: Amethyst Facet-9 Cut-5LC wasn't the smartest of amethysts, but even she knows when something is off.





	The Test

“Have you heard? They go into her office and never come out.”

 

“Come off it. What could she be doing to them?”

 

“Maybe she eats them.”

 

“EEE!”

 

“She might be a bitch, but she’s no _organic._ ”

 

“Well, where do they go?”

 

“Out the front door whenever you’re napping.”

 

“I do not!”

 

“Yes you do! We can hear you snoring from the cubbies.”

 

“Maybe she’s …making a necklace from their shards.”

 

“Or a geoweapon.”

 

“She has been acting weird lately.”

 

“Girls!”

 

The three amethysts broke out of their little circle. Snapping to salutes, they guiltily chorused “Yes, ma’am!”

 

The newer amethyst, a deeper violet, maintained a scowl for several seconds before breaking out a smile. “Gossiping without including your superior? For shame.”

 

“5LX. You know we don’t gossip _with_ a superior, we gossip _about_ them.”

 

The darker amethyst just rolled her eyes.

 

“5LC. Milky wants you. Maybe you can find out if the rumors you’re so eager to hear about are true.”

 

The more timid of the amethyst gulped. It was fun to say your superior had crannies full of secrets, another when it might be true. This would be a tense meeting.

 

Upon knocking and given permission to enter, 5LC saluted. “You wanted to see me, Milky Agate.”

 

The agate didn’t reply, absorbed in the paperwork forming piles across her desk. It wasn’t the worst game an agate could play, forcing a subordinate to remain at attention, but one of the harder ones for amethysts. Within minutes she was fidgeting, glancing about and dropping the military perfection of her salute.

 

Milky’s office was neat. Even the paper piles had crisp corners. When she finished with one, it got flipped over into the next pile. So it didn’t take long for an amethyst’s wandering eyes to notice a few things were out of place. A few vials of soil samples haphazardly clustered on a shelf. The wailing stone facing the open area in front of the desk rather than the agate’s chair, as if recently used by someone else. The most obvious difference, of course, was a white bubble floating just behind Milky’s head. That gave 5LC a start. Who had been bad enough to warrant a time-out? There hadn’t been much pranking going on recently, not that she heard, and amethyst’s rarely held back from boasting about their exploits.

 

She squinted at the bubble, trying to figure out who’s cut it was. The partial translucence wasn’t helping matters. 8XK? 8XA? She thought it had been the eights who had that extra facet on their corners.

 

Milky continued on, flipping another sheet. Had she actually forgotten 5LC was there? Should she clear her throat? Only the strictest agates made them wait this long, and Milky was actually almost okay. She yelled, and smacked them with her cane, and had no sense of humor, but most of her punishments were well deserved. 5LC had seen a Honey Yellow Agate once, who claimed that random beatings kept the quartz’s in line. She wasn’t wrong. Her battalion won every match, but were cowed outside the arena, tense and fearful of the next blow. 5LC felt sorry for them.

 

Another page. 5LC’s foot was tapping now. Her arms were barely held in a salute. What game was Milky playing now? How long does it take for an amethyst to crack on her own? It had been at least fifteen minutes since she walked in the door.

 

“Ma’am?”

 

“One moment quartz.” Milky Agate’s eyes didn’t even seem to leave the paper she was looking over. Why summon her just to ignore her?

 

Amethyst’s eyes fell to her tapping feet. She blinked. There was a paper next to her agate’s foot. It looked vaguely familiar. She turned her head. Had it fallen off Milky’s desk? Her always orderly agate?

 

“You’ve heard rumors of Pink Diamond’s colony?” 5LC’s eyes snapped up to the agate’s, now looking at her. “The quartz that went wild?”

 

Amethyst’s thought whirled. That’s where it was familiar from. The design on the paper was a Rose’s shield, pink and spiraling, against something straggling over the background. A wanted alert? She wanted to glance down to check, but her agate expected a reply.

 

“A single quartz is no match against the might of Homeworld.”

 

“Of course.” Milky settled her hands on her desk, crossing her feet. The paper fluttered in the barely there air current. A snap of the white gem’s fingers brought her attention back. “You might not have heard that it is more than a single quartz now. That this traitor has swayed weak minded gems, and even has started sending spies among our troops.”

 

Amethyst had heard that, but wasn’t going to tell Milky about the late night whispers in cubbies, incredulity and disgust alike. No gem outwardly agreed with the rebels but they all crowded around when they heard a returning soldier had been on Pink’s colony. She shook her head.

 

“In fact. This is one here.” Milky waved at the bubble beside her.

 

5LC’s eyes boggled. A spy! In their own garrison!

 

“I reported her to the Diamonds of course. But I guess they have no tolerance for even suspected traitors; they just ordered me to shatter her.” The bubble popped at Milky’s touch. Throwing the faceted Gem at 5LC, who fumbled out of her salute to catch, she added. “Be a dear and do that for me.”

 

What? Shatter a—. She had never shattered anyone before, had never needed to. Out here, quartz’s mostly kept local wildlife away from gem buildings and performed manual labor. Their most action came in training bouts against each other.

 

The Gem fit into her palm. She was literally holding someone’s life in the palm of her hand. No trial, just execution. How could Milky be sure she was right? She couldn’t look at the other gem, eyes flickering about the room. Chair, gem scanner, a box of writing implements, partially full. Was one of their own falsely accused? Was one of their own a minion of that Rose Quartz? Her eyes jumped down to the paper, one corner caught under the edge of a box, the rest floating gently in the slight breeze as Milky leaned forward. “What are you waiting for, quartz? I gave you an order.”

 

Her fingers tightened around the stone, grinding. Something was off here and she couldn’t figure out what. Would Milky really summon her here, her specifically, just to shatter a traitorous gem? Was this a test?

 

But, this might be one of her fellow guards. Who? 6YZ, with her bellowing laugh? 9LP, who had once spooked a herd of quadrupeds right into the cubbies while they were all resting? How could 5LC shatter her, not knowing who she was? Not knowing what she had done to draw down the wrath of Homeworld? Not knowing if it was even true?

 

“I can’t- Milky, I…”

 

“Humph. Don’t tell me you sympathize with her. Or are you just too weak to do your job?”

 

“Apologies, Milky Agate.” She said, downcast, as the pale gem stood.

 

The agate snatched the Gem from her loosening fingers, re-bubbling it. Circling her, looking her up and down. “How old are you? Six, seven thousand years? All that time living off the Diamond’s graces, and you can’t even follow a single order should it conflict with your delicate sensibilities?”

 

Amethyst noticed the ground under her sparkled slightly. Was that what Milky was doing - weeding out the weak gems - ones who might side with the rebels? Would she end up in that bubble next, a test for the next gem? Had she failed because she thought a gem should at least die on more than a suspicion? No words could make their way past the lump in her throat.

 

Milky returned to her desk, sighing and waving a hand dismissively. “Get out of my sight. I’ll just put you down as a coward and have you transferred to the little girl’s brigade. Perhaps a thousand years babysitting pearls will dry your clay.”

 

Tears pricked her eyes. She wasn’t shattered, today at least. “Yes, Milky Agate.” She blindly snapped a salute and was turning toward the door when her eyes caught on something. It was that infernal fluttering paper, the mark of the rebellion plastered in full technicolor. It didn’t look like the usual memo, warning them of dangerous geography or listing enemy weaknesses. It looked like a transparogragh, like the soldiers used to send secret notes to each other across colonies. Easy to slip between other papers. Easy to crumple, easy to burn. She picked it up.

 

“Uh. You dropped this, Ma’am.” She handed over the damaging paper. Milky Agate didn’t quite meet her eyes. Was this _hers_? It was tempting, so tempting to turn the tables. Call the agate out on her own weakness and rebel sympathies. Blackmail the marks off her own record. There were so many small favors an agate could do for her subordinates, which just the right motivation. Such as preventing rumors that she was a two-faced hypocrite for nearly shattering that gem but being a traitor herself.

 

Wait…

 

That Gem. 5LC realized why she didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t one of theirs, maybe not even a Gem at all. She made a quick about-face, back stiff. Milky actually _was_ a rebel! A spy! How could she ever look her agate in the face again knowing that?

 

Goose-stepping, 5LC made it across the room and was reaching for the door handle when something thin and long was pressed into - through - her form with enough force to dissipate it. Milky released her cane, and its hidden blade, before reaching down to pick up the lavender stone.

 

Carefully, Milky bubbled Elcie’s Gem. Her own Gem let out a glow on her right shoulder when she placed the bubble inside. A box at the foot of her chair - Homeworld loyalists, similarly bubbled - would remain behind when she left. This one would be coming with her. An intercom button let 5LX know to fetch the next gem for 'interrogation'.

 

And that was how an agate smuggled nearly a third of a battalion of quartz’s to join the rebellion.

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t worry, she’s not putting real gems on the line - this one is was a fake.
> 
> Also in case it wasn't clear, "dry your clay" is equivalent to "grow a spine". Basically Milky Agate is saying Amethyst belongs in the newbie squads doing work meant for Rubys.


End file.
